An EgyptAir flight carrying the last group of Egyptians repatriated from Kuwait amid the coronavirus restrictions is due to arrive in Cairo International Airport on Thursday, state news agency MENA reported.

The 300-passenger flight brings the total number of Egyptians brought back home from Kuwait to 6,300 citizens in 36 trips, MENA said.

The group arriving Thursday will be placed under a 7-day quarantine after the Egyptian health ministry decided earlier this week to shorten the mandatory quarantine period for overseas returnees from 14 days to one week.

Egyptians in Kuwait and other Gulf countries have pleaded to authorities in recent weeks to get repatriated.

On 4 May, Kuwaiti authorities broke up riots by a group of Egyptian workers demanding repatriation at shelters designated for those who had violated the Gulf country's residency laws, arresting several people, the Kuwaiti interior ministry said at the time.

Egypt started operating flights to bring those back home one day later.

Egypt began repatriating its citizens abroad in March after it grounded all international flights as part of sweeping measures to limit the spread of the virus.

Authorities are giving priority to humanitarian cases followed by those with expired residences or terminated contracts, then those with a final exit visa and tourists.

The country has continued to operate domestic trips and freight flights.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said earlier this month that authorities were hoping to repatriate all nationals stuck abroad before the Islamic holiday of Eid Al-Fitr, which is set to begin on 24 May.

He expected the number of repatriated nationals to exceed 16,000 by that time.

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